Dash for Life
by XXWriterGeekXX
Summary: A new creature is lurking in the forest and it is big and bad.Its up to Cinderpaw,Hollypaw and a little help from Jaypaw to figure out what it is and how to stop it before it decides to attacks the clans. Takes place some point after Dark River.


**Okay, so right now I'm just trying this story out. I will continue based on reviews. **

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The Moonpool shined as the cats gathered around it stared deep into its water. A large black figure appeared, causing most cats to meow in surprise. "This is a new creature in the forest," meowed a blue gray she-cat. 

"What is it?"mewed another.

"Nothing like this has ever been seen," meowed the she-cat. "But it is not something to take lightly. If nothing is done many cats will die."

"Then what do we do Bluestar?" growled a large tom. "Send cats to fight it and have them killed for sure?!"

"I have a few in mind," Bluestar murmured. The image in the pool changed to a gray she-cat and a black she-cat.

"But they're only apprentices," gasped a black tom. "And we've already given one a second chance."

"We must," growled Bluestar. "For the fate of all clans.

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A light breeze blew through the forest ruffling the fur of the gathered cats. The night sky was clear, their only light was the full moon. The cats sat at the edge of their territory waiting for their leader to give the signal. A ginger tom rose and flicked his tail. As one the cats rose and bounded away. They ran along the lake worry on the edge of every ones mind, except for one apprentice. Cinderpaws fur tingled with excitement as she waited for her first gathering. Her excitement turned to worry when she looked at her clan. Prey was scarce. Hunting patrols brought back few pieces of prey if they were lucky. Everyone was growing weaker every day. 

Cinderpaw was nervous of what their appearance would imply to the other clans. As they neared the island the sent of other clans drifted towards her, they were last to arrive. One by one the cats leapt on to the log and carefully made their way across. The rain from the past moon made the log slick and dangerous to careless paws. When it came to her turn she hesitated, one wrong move and she would plummet into the lake. Someone lightly nudged her flank. She turned to see Brackenfur looking thoughtfully at her. "Don't worry," he whispered," I was nervous my first time too." Cinderpaw nodded her thanks, bunched up her legs, and leapt onto the log. Her hind paws slipped as, she struggled to gain her balance, Brackenfur grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. He gently nudged her along following close behind. Cinderpaw leapt onto the shore and let out a sigh of relief.

She followed her Clanmates into the gathering clearing and gasped. The other clans looked as scrawny as them. Their bones stuck out at their hips and ribs. Everyone was dodgy and sticking with their own clans. "They're frightened," meowed a familiar voice. Jaypaw stood beside her as Leafpool went off to the other medicine-cats. The blind cat turned his head as if looking at every individual cat.

"Have you heard anything from Starclan lately?" Cinderpaw whispered. Jaypaw shook his head.

"With everything going on I haven't had time to ask," he sighed. "But I'm sure its not Twolegs like last time." Cinderpaw shuddered as she remembered the stories she heard of how the clans came to live by the lake, but Jaypaw did make sense. The herbs were plentiful and there was no sign of Twoleg activity.

"Well with all the rain for the past moon its hard to sent anything. When it lets up we _will _figure out what is happening."

"If it lets up," Jaypaw mewed grimly. "I'm sure Riverclan is close to flooding if it hasn't already." Cinderpaw gasped. She hadn't thought of that. With Riverclans camp on an island they were vulnerable when it came to flooding. Cinderpaw looked around for Willopaw, the Riverclan medicine cat apprentice, knowing she was friends with Hollypaw. Willowpaw sat with Mothwing and the other medicine cats. Before she could move towards her a yowl sounded from the Great Oak. Firestar, Blackstar, Onestar, and Leopardstar sat together on the lowest branch. Cats fell silent and looked toward their leaders. " Cats of the Clans, we gather here under the full moon in peace," Firestar mewed. Cats shifted uneasily at his words of peace. Cinderpaw felt that no cat expected peace. "Who would like to start." Onestar stepped forward.

"All is fine in Windclan," he meowed slowly. " Although prey has been scarce but mostly in the forest area of our territory. We have gone back to hunting more in the moorland but prey is going scarce there too."

"Prey is also scarce in Thunderclan," meowed Firestar. "For new-leaf it is odd but with the resent rain not much would want to be out."

"I don't think rain is the only problem," Leopardstar spook up. "The river is rising by our camp so I sent a patrol out to inspect how bad it is. The news they came back with wasn't all good." The Riverclan cats flattened their ears in fear. Cinderpaw was surprised, Riverclan didn't scare easily.

"When the rain stopped they caught a sent unlike one we've ever smelled. They followed the sent trail as far as they could before more rain came and washed the sent away."

"So we have another animal in the forest, nothing we can't handle," growled Blackstar. "We need to worry more on the prey issue." Mews of agreement rose from the cats.

"Wait," yowled Leopardstar, "that's not all. She waited for the cats to fall silent. "My patrol went further, and kept searching. They got a faint sent before they stumbled upon a pawprint," she paused. "This pawprint was bigger than any dogs or badgers." Mews of shock and horror rippled through the gathered cats. Cinderpaws eyes stretched wide with horror. Badgers and dogs were the meanest and most feared creatures, anything bigger was sure to be just as fierce if not more.

"Didn't you go after it?" Blackstar challenged.

"I wouldn't dare send them after something that big," Leopardsatr hissed back.

"That's just because your clan is weak," Blackstar hissed taking a menacing step forward.. The Riverclan cats hissed at his words.

"Well if we're weak that means we can still beat you Shadowclan," Mistyfoot hissed her challenge. Cinderpaw tensed as Shadowclan and Riverclan hissed and growled at each other. She could feel a battle about to start.

"STOP," a yowl echoed throughout the island. Firestar leapt from his branch and stood between Shadowclan and Riverclan. "We are here under peace," he growled. "If you break that you break the warrior code." As if to prove a point clouds started to form sending claps of thunder. Cinderpaw shrank back as rain started to heavily fall.

"This gathering is over," Onestar announced. "We'll discuss this animal issue some other time." With that he leapt down and headed out of the clearing followed by his clan. Cinderpaw heard Jaypaw let out a long sigh.

"They were really going to do it," she meowed shakily. Jaypaw just blinked to clear the rain from his eyes. Firestars yowl signaled it was time to go.

"Come on," Jaypaw meowed and bounded after the others. Cinderpaw slowly followed her clan out of the gathering clearing and looked around. Everyone was tense as they waited to cross over. Once everyone was over they bounded away at a fast pace. Cinderpaw kept looking over her shoulder expecting something to be there. She was frightened, because she knew. She knew there was something out there, something big and it wasn't going away so easily. Until it was gone they all were in danger, and she felt this was going to be the most danger she has ever been in.

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**Well there you go. Please review on what you think.**


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